Consecrated life in the Catholic Church is a vital and healing presence in Indian society. Religious men and women make an integral contribution to the society through their institutions in the fields of education, spirituality, medical care, social services, and other charitable activities. In the present context of India, however, consecrated men and women can experience challenges of relevance and identity in their vocations. These concerns have their basis in the fundamental need for a renewal of religious life itself in India, one which is imbued with a Christ-centered spirituality and reflects the prophetic charism that marks apostolic religious life.
Indian religious life upholds three values: contemplation, and community. Given these values, the author find a deep affinity between the ideals of Indian consecrated life and Thomas Merton's contemplative-prophetic spirituality. This study proposes therefore, that the spirituality of Thomas Merton can serve as a vital resource for the relevance of the consecrated life in India. This scholarly work deals with the spirituality of consecrated life in India inspired by Thomas Merton.
Sr. Fabian Jose, UMI was born in Alakode, Kannur District, Kerala, India. She belongs to the Ursulines of Mary Immaculate (UMI) congregation, founded by Blessed Brigida Morello in Italy, 1649. She has rich experience of contributing to the formation of the sisters. She has completed her MTh in Spirituality from Jnana- Deepa Vidyapeeth (JDV) Pune, and has the Doctorate in Prophetic Mysticism in Consecrated Life, at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, Berkeley, California, USA.
The knowledge and wisdom reflected in this book The Relevance of Thomas Merton Spirituality for the Consecrated Life in India by Fabian Jose UMI, is a significant contribution to the renewal of consecrated life in India to awaken consecrated men and women from their stagnation and follow the path of Christ the liberator. The Lord has called men and women to continue His earthly mission through the consecrated life, by surrendering their whole being to God, and by committing to serve the humanity in compassion and love. Today, if we consider the life of the consecrated people they are encountering various dark forces in India and around the world. Their human limitations are projected in an exaggerated manner through public accusations in the social Medias and in other communication means locally and globally. In the present context, the consecrated person's integrity and identity is being questioned and confronted by the secular world.
In the current milieu the consecrated people are invited to introspect and find solution to these existing problems in their relationship to the person of Christ. Unless the consecrated build a solid contemplative spirituality it would be rather tough to live an authentic life worthy of their call in this challenging world. They need to spend quality time with the Lord in silence, solitude, and contemplative prayer. The author has attempted to focus and acme the various trials Thomas Merton the Catholic priest and monk of the United States encountered. He was unafraid to confront the darkness of his time. He addressed each destructive forces through his contemplative prayer and solitary life which navigated him to act prophetically for the transformation of the world, universal church the American society. He was a man of dialogue, promoter of peace between people and religions. As Paul Pearson, the former president of the International Thomas Merton's Society observes in his foreword to the text, Thomas Merton: Twentieth Century Wisdom for Twenty First Century Living that, "In facing the darkness of the bomb, our ecological degradation of the planet, our unbridled, rampant technology, the breakdown of community and ultimately of communion between people..." In New Seeds of Contemplation Merton affirms that "The world was made as a temple, a paradise, into which God Himself would descend to dwell familiarly with the spirits He had placed there to tend it for Him." Therefore, "Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identity our own destiny.. To work out our identity in God." It is a tender invitation to renew our religious identity and commitment with great joy and zeal in collaboration with God's grace.
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) is one of the most prolific and best- known spiritual writers of the twentieth century. He published over 70 books as well as numerous essays, reviews, and poems. His journals and his letters have, in separate projects, been collected into several volumes. Analyses of and commentaries on his works have become almost a cottage industry, with numerous published studies.
Merton's writings, however, are best known in places like the United States, Canada, Western Europe, and Australia. In this groundbreaking study, whose audience is principally women and men in consecrated life, Sr. Fabian Jose, UMI, places Merton in dialogue with the Indian context. While acknowledging that consecrated persons in India must draw on the spiritual sources of India's rich and varied cultures, she argues that Merton can be an exemplar in bringing together a deep commitment to contemplative prayer with an equally deep commitment to social justice.
Sr. Fabian's study unfolds in four stages:
As a first stage, Sr. Fabian begins her study with an overview of Merton's life. His childhood was unusual and, in many ways, tragic. His parents were artists living in France and during World War 1. Thomas was born there, but for safety the family relocated to New York City. His mother died when Thomas was six years old, and after that Merton moved between living with his maternal grandparents and with his father, a painter, who traveled a great deal. His father died when Thomas was sixteen, leaving him an orphan in England and very much at sea in finding a direction in is life. The scars of his unusual childhood would mark Merton throughout his life.
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